India have two World Cups and one World T20 title under their belt. And in the last few years, especially since the advent of IPL, the overall standards of Indian cricket have risen to the level where they consistently go deep in major tournaments.
But, since their 2011 World Cup triumph, a trend has emerged and it not something the Indian team will be particularly proud of – defeats in semi-finals and finals.
India’s next major moment on the world stage after their 2011 triumph was the 2014 World T20 final where they mustered just 130-4 batting first against Sri Lanka and deservedly lost the title clash.
The next year, they remained unbeaten en route to the World Cup semi-final clash against hosts Australia and were defeated by a handsome margin of 95 runs.
Then, in the 2016 World T20 at home, India lost to eventual winners West Indies in the semi-finals. In the 2017 Champions Trophy, India stormed into the title game only to be thumped by Pakistan by 180 runs.
And now, in the 2019 World Cup in England, they topped the league stage only to lose to New Zealand in the semi-final. That’s five straight defeats in semis or finals of world events.
There are two ways to look at the results – India are good enough to make it to the latter stages of the tournament consistently, or they don’t have that little extra required to win crucial matches.
While the overall record for the Indian team at major events is impressive, they have no trophies to show for their efforts. And like New Zealand before them who have advanced to the semi-finals or final in five of the previous seven World Cups without winning the crown, the Indian team is now in danger of being always a bridesmaid, not quite the bride.
